Machine for stripping and breaking cotton-stalks.



l'if,

J'. L. DANIBLS B. G. KUHNB.

` MACHINE POR STRIPP-.ING AND BREAKING COTTON STALKS 4Patented Mar. 14, 1911.

APPLICATIHN FILED DEG. 7, 1908` L ,I w gl 'l/ l n 1 M I 3.1. DANIELS 6c B'. G. KUHNE.

" v MACHINE ron SHIPPING `ma BREAKING coTToN sTALIIs. v

APPLIOATIOX FILED DEU. 7, i908.

Patnted Mar. 14, 1911.

, 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

j UNITED STATES PATENT oEEieE.

JOHN LOUIS DANIELS AND BERNHARD G. KUHNE, QF CHARLOTTE, NORTH (DABOL'INA,` .ASSIGNORS TO CQTTON STALK FIBER MACHINE COMPANY, F GAFFNEY, SOUTH.

CAROLINA.

MACHINE FOR STRI'PPING Aun BREAKING eo'rToNs'rsLKs.

inns and BERNHARD 'G. Keime, citizens of the United, States, residing at Charlotte. in the county of Mecklenburg and State of North Carolina, have invented a new and useful Machine for Stripping :indrBrealting Cotton-Stallis, .of which the following is a specification. i

"1`his invention relates to machines for.

stripping and breakin" cotton stalks to pro.` duce bark ber capable of use asa substitute for ,excelsioig curled hair, jute, etc., in packing, upholsterint, and spinning, and to reduce the wooden tidy of the stalks ,to a ceaniinntcd state whereby, wood can be used in the production 'of paper.

Hrretofore paper has been manufactured out of cotton stalks but it has been possible to obtain only an inferior grade because it has been customary to reduce the bark :1S well as the body of the stalks to a, pulp, and as a' result the bark discolnren the paper.

The object of the present invention is to strip the bark from the stalks so that the manner stated and a pulp produced will notl be discolored in the rodiict, to wit: berk fiber, is obtained whic can be used for the purposes stated.

Another object is to rovide e machine for producingV these products and which is capable ot' being taken into the field where the stalks are stacked and where it can be Voperated to strip and break the stalks and to grade the products.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accom ianying drawings the preferred form o the invention has been shown.

In said drawings :Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through the machine; Figi is an enlarged section through the feedl and crushing mechanism of the machine; Fig. 3 is an enlarged section thrmigh a portion of the separating cylinder and the adjoining hars' used in connection therewith.

Referring to the figures by characters of l reference it designates t-he frame of a wheelsupported vehicle designed to be drawn Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Mar. 14, 1911. I Application led December 7, 1908. 'Serial No. 466,379.

from place to place and this freine preferably has a coverV B supported thereupon so so as to protect the machine from rain, etc.

The mechanism constitutinor the present invention includes a feed tabe 1, suitably supported adjacent. a hopper 2, so located as to direct material into the pass between crushinfr rolls 3 and 4. One ot these Nrolls is journeed within slidasle boxes 5 whieu are springpressed as shown at 6, so that a constant pressure is exerted by the rolls upon the. material fed thereto. Located below the Crusher rolls 3 and 4 are feed rolls 7 and 8, the roll 7 bein mounted within slidable boxes 9 pressed gy springs 10 similar to the sprinqs G heretofore referred to.r Screws l1 may be utilized for increasing and diminishing the stress of these springs. Spacing blocks 1Q are interposed between the rolls 3 and 7 and 4 and 8 and form a passage therebetween through which material is free to travel from the pass between rolls 3 and 4 directly below the pass between rolls 7 and 8 and at the upper-feed end of a concave le. This vconcave is provided with teeth 15 and disposed above and concentric with the concave is a shaft- 16 on which is mounted a shreddin cylinder 17 also provided with teeth.` A ne 18 houses the upper portion .of the cylinder 1T und is curved upwardly therefrom and is provided :it its upper end with :i downward discharge 1i) opening into the upper portion ot' a. casing 20. A shaft 21 is mounted to rotate within this casin and below the outlet. 19 and mounted on sai shaft is a separating cylinder 22 covered with card clothing E23 arranged with the dip of wire in the direction of rotation of the cylinder. Brackets or other suitable supporting devices 24 are arranged below the (lue 18 and outlet 19 and support pairs of bars 25 which extend throughout the length or the separating cylinder and are covered with a strip ot' card clothing 2G, the wires of which point in the direction of travel of the` material. This arrangement of the wires has been plainly indicated in Fig. 3 of the drawings. Any desired linmber of bars 25 may be utilized and said bars are spaced apart so as to leave openings .27 thrlough which the particles of wood may al Cn L'.

A screen 2S is supported below the bars 25 b v means ol oscillating hangers QJ, said screen being preferably inclined and designed to be diivcn'in any preferred manner as by ini-aus ot' a rod 34') pivotally councctcd thereto as at 3l and provided at one end with an eccentric st rap 32 .suri'i'iunding and receiving motion ,t'roin an adjustable eccentric .53 carried by a Shaft 34.

blow spout i extends from the casing within which the cylinder 22 is located and rciolubly mounted within this spout a take-olf brush 3G designed to remove ae- This erzihly consists of a series of radial spokes 37 carrying bars 38, from which the brush bristles extend. It is of course to be understood that any suitable mechanism may be utilized for driving the various parts of the machine at the desired speed.

In using the machine herein described the stalks are. placed upon the feed table 1 and pass `into the hopper 2 by which `they are directed between the rolls 3 and 4. 'lhese rolls flatten the stalks so as to render them. of uniform thickness, after which they are discharged between the feed rolls Tand 8.

During this last operation the wood of the stalks is further broken and lwithout however injuring the fiattened crushed fibrous bark. The feed rolls then direct the material over the breaker plate 13 whereupon the rotating shredding cylinder 17 engages the material and not only breaks the wood but splits the bark fiber and pulls it therefroir. This cylinder rotates very rapidly and carries the material over the concave 14 and forces it. through the flue 18 where it is engaged by the carding or separating cylinder 22 and carried over the earding cloth 9.6 on bars 25. At this point in the operation the bark fiber is thoroughly separated from the broken wood and the particles of wood drop between the bars Q5 and on t0 the screen 2S which reciproeates to sift the dirt and dust from the wood while the .said wood particles are discharged as tailings from the end of the screen. lVoi-thlcs pieces of bark liber also pass downward `through the bars and screen. The desirable fibers however are carried by the card clothing of the cylinder 22 upward to the spout 35 where the brush 57 operates to strip them from the cylinder and discharge them through the spout.

It will be seen that by utilizing the ma chine here described two products are ob tained from cotton stalks. The lirst of these products, to wit: the bark fiber, constitutes an efficient substitute for'curled hair and excelsior and can be used in npholstering or for packing purposes. The fiber can also be employed as a substitu for jute in spinning. The wood particles which are produced forni an excellent. material for tlv..` production of paper pulp, and by stripping the bark from the wood in thcl manner dcsi-ribed a paper. of very goed quality can he produce-Firmin the wund.

Y. hat is claimed is 1. The combination with a rcvolublecarding cylinder and fixed cai-ding devices co7 operating therewith; ot a flue for directing material'between the fixed and rovolublc cnrding device-S, ,i1 toothed concave, and a shredding cfy'lind'er rcvolubly mounted adjacent and copemting with the concave, said cylinder constituting means =for direct-V ing material into the flue.

A machine of the class described iu cluding a: revoluble cai-ding device, spared fixed carding devices copeiating therewith, each of said carding devices having` card clothing thereon with the points of thc wires bent in the direction of rotation ofthe rcvolnblc carding device, a shredding cylinder, a concav*I cooperating therewith, feed rolls adjacent the shredding cylinder, a breaker plate interposed between the feed rolls and concave and coperating with the shredding cylinder, said plate being arranged to receive material from the feed rolls, and means for directing material from the concave to the carding devices.

3. The combination with a table; of Crusher rolls for receiving material therefrom, feed rolls for receiving material from the erusher rolls, :i breaker plate for receiving material from the feed rolls, fixed and revolubleshredding devices for receiving material from the breaker plate, coperating fixed and revoluble curdingdevices, means for directing material from the shredding devices to the carding devices said fixed carding devices being spaceV apart, a screen for receiving and grading material discharged between the fixed eardingr devices, and means for removing niaterial from the movable cardini; device.

Il. The combination with shredding means, of a revolublc carding device for engagging material discharged from said shredding means, spaced fixedv carding devices coperating with said revoluble device, means for supplying material to said shredding means, said supplying means including crushing members, and means nr conducting material from the shredding: means to the Cardin-g devices.

5. The combination with 'a revolublc earding device, of spam-d tix-cd rarding devices roperating with :said rciolublr carding device and haring; outlets tiiore-betiveeii, crushing means. a breaker blade, feeding means interposed between thc breaker blade and the crushing means for directing ma@ terial from the crushing means to the breaker blade, a shredding cylinder coperating with the breaker blade, a concave coi'os operating with saidp cylinder, and means for conducting material from the shredding vcylrinder and its concave to the cai'ding deyio teriiil from said conca ve to the carding.dc

vices.

7. A machine of Vthe class described conn prising a revohiblecarding device, spaced stationary earding devices coperating therewith and having outlets therebetween,

a revoliible shredding cylinder, a concave coperating therewith, a breaker plate deiachahiy mounted at the feed end of said concave, crushing rolls, means for feeding Vnnitei'ial frein said rolls and across tlic breaker plate to the concave, a flue for directing material from said concave and cylinder to the carding devices, and revolublc .means for removing material from the clothing ot' the revoluble carding device.

8. In e machine of the class described, a. revolnhle carding device, spaced stationary carding devices coperating therewith and having oeillets therebetween, copcrating -revoluble and stationary shredding elements, av removable breaker plate adjacent thereto, crushing devices, means for feed# ing material from the crushing devices to 986,551 .di i Y K' 3.

the breaker plate,' and means for conveying material from the shredding elements to the carding devices, and a reciprocating separator for receiving material from the outlets between the stationary' carding devices.

In testimony that We claini the foregoing as our own, wc have hereto atlixed our signatures in the presence of two Witnesses. JOHN LOUIS DANIELS.' BERNHARD G. KUHNE. liitnesses GEORGE H. NOBLE,

F. K. GARDNER.

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